You could pick and choose the credible emergence of a threatening powerbase in any given sport; the majority of leagues have suffered from a monopoly of illustrious names at varying stages, many of which are still ongoing and as persistent as ever before. Look no further than the Old Firm governance of the Scottish Premier League, the strangehold of Spain shared between Real Madrid and Barcelona and even extending the horizon to the authority recently wielded by the Sao-Paulo quartet in the Brazilian Serie A.
It is the natural consequence when a select assortment of clubs endure sustained success over elongated spells, abundantly rich in their pursuit of guiding every recognisable trophy into the control of their very own clutches, promoting their names into universally-revered brands and amassing the benefits which serve not only to fortify their standing domestically, but potentially in the elite grandeur of European competition. At the whim and call of the national press, every country has their own batch of affluent media darlings who dominate proceedings, but the Big Three of the Netherlands have woken to the realisation that they have been ousted from their seating at the pinnacle of Dutch affairs.
Leading the 2006-2007 Eredivisie and comforted with the knowledge that victory in their sole remaining fixture, away to Excelsior, would secure the championship, AZ Alkmaar were in cruise-control and responsible for their own destiny. Closely behind lay PSV and Ajax on equal points as goal difference separated the top three, vigilant and alert to pounce, lingering in the hope of hearing news of defeat for the leaders whilst also ensuring victory for themselves. Approaching injury-time at Excelsior, the fate of the championship rested on a knife-edge and one last ripple of the net ultimately shaped the destination of the winners’ medals.
Serving a late-helping of revenge is better than none at all as Louis Van Gaal found out, as it took another two seasons before the anguish of falling short of the title, handing PSV their 20th accomplishment, and the torment of conceding that 90th minute decider, which had it been converted at the opposite end of the pitch would have erased scenes of dejection and despondency, would end.
In 2009, the caption to AZ Alkmaar’s stirring season is one complete with jubilation, free of unresolved sorrow and wrapped up to perfection with three matches remaining. The Eredivisie championship was added to AZ’s honours list, for only the second occasion, after losing in only four of their matches and verifying their dominance with an eleven-point cushion. "This title doesn't take away the bad taste of 2007 because we should have won the double that year", Van Gaal told Voetbal International. Even more gratifying was to be the deeds carried out by a Steve McClaren-led FC Twente, who claimed the runners-up position to deny PSV, Ajax and Feyenoord qualification to the lucrative UEFA Champions League for the first time in its current format [since 1992].
Alkmaar hosts a relatively tiny population of 100,000 occupants and is comfortably dwarfed by the rival cities of Amsterdam, Eindhoven and Rotterdam, and so has it been outshone as a city in terms of football recognition – until now. When Ajax rode to Champions League glory in 1994/95, AZ Alkmaar were concealed within the murk of the second-tier Eerste Divisie and failed to gain promotion with an unspectacular finish to fifth. Elevation to the Eredivisie in 1997/1998 brought AZ much closer to their zenith days and they have ensured survival ever since, further impressing by reaching the semi-final of the UEFA Cup in 2005. Chairman Dirk Scheringa can be credited with diminishing the divide between his club and the previously-formidable Dutch trio, not only for providing substantial resources but additionally for keeping faith in Van Gaal when morale was in deep decline.
Internal disputes and wrangles can only be partially attributed to the failings of the Dutch old-guard as they lick their wounds with a summer off-season of rebuilding and reforming ahead. At the commencement of the season, Ajax would probably have rejoiced at finishing higher than PSV, who enjoyed four consecutive years as champions, in the belief the championship race was resolutely a two-horse race, only to despair at the demoralising reality that they have been leapfrogged by a couple of seemingly-inferior outfits.
Rotterdam-based Feyenoord, meanwhile, were closer to finishing in the relegation zone than competing with those at the peak of the table [15 points above relegated FC Volendam but a colossal 23 points behind third-placed Ajax and 35 behind AZ]. Intended to be the season that celebrates a hundred years in existence, festivities will strictly be kept for reminiscing the accomplishments of former generations, the last being the league title a decade ago.
As far as FC Twente goes, Steve McClaren has, in the short-term at least, enjoyed the metaphorical last laugh over the unforgiving English media after renovating his tarnished reputation by overseeing an impressive top-two finish, a feat which restores their hopes of advancing through to the Champions League group stages. The champagne remains on ice, however, as a debut season in Holland looks to be rounded-off emphatically with a Dutch Cup final victory over Heerenveen on Sunday. Ironically, rumours are gathering that Ajax could be waiting in the wings to offer McClaren the alluring opportunity to replace Marco Van Basten and coach them next season...
Showing posts with label 2008-09 Eredivisie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 2008-09 Eredivisie. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Twente Qualifys For UEFA Champions League Play
Congrats to FC Twente who placed second in the 2008-09 Eredivisie and now will play in UEFA's Champions League next season. Read about Twente's qualification in Goal.com's Eredivisie Round-Up: Twente Secure Top Two Finish
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Top Goalscorers Of European Leagues In 2008/09
An A-Z of the European league's top goalscorers in 2008/2009, listed alphabetically by countries and supplemented by the footballer's name, number of goals to their credit, the proud club honoured to acquire his services and the total matches played by that team in the domestic league. Featuring four Brazilian sensations and eight from the African continent, keep up-to-date with those high-flyers in the world of European football.
Several leagues have not begun, such as the Swedish Allsvenskan, hence their exclusions from the list.
Several leagues have not begun, such as the Swedish Allsvenskan, hence their exclusions from the list.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Winter Transfer Window Special: Latest January Wonders
Find out the latest transfer stories and jet-setting antics of the superstars from around the globe by selecting the links below, brought by Fox Sports.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
AZ Happy to Face Eredivisie Minnows
Manager Louis van Gaal is grateful to face struggling side FC Volendam this weekend. The 2007-08 champions of the Eerste Divisie, Volendam has struggled in Holland's top flight.
AZ leads the league with 41 points while Volendam can only speak of 11.
Dutch-Moroccan forward, Mounir El Hamdaoui, paces AZ with 15 goals.
Volendam counts two players with 4 goals on the campaign.
AZ leads the league with 41 points while Volendam can only speak of 11.
Dutch-Moroccan forward, Mounir El Hamdaoui, paces AZ with 15 goals.
Volendam counts two players with 4 goals on the campaign.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Verbeek Dismissed By Feyenoord
Gert Jan Verbeek has been fired as the coach of Feyenoord, abruptly ending his seven month tenure in Rotterdam. The 46-year-old has paid the penalty for guiding Feyenoord to a derisory twelfth place in the Dutch Eredivisie, a season which has also brought the degradation of an early elimination from the UEFA Cup and five league victories out of seventeen contributed to losing the dressing room.
Unforeseen injuries have helped little in their hunt for improvement and consistency but, in the words of the club director Eric Gudde, “It is a law in football that if a large part of the players do not want a coach, there is no way to continue other than to install a new man.” The fallen Dutch giants, who are a sombre reflection of their glorious past, will look to emerge from the wilderness by seeking the services of another figure in the managerial turnstile.
Feyenoord’s home form has been startling in comparison to their fortunes last season. In 2007-2008, Feyenoord enjoyed unprecedented success in their home fixtures, winning 39 points from 17 fixtures but already this season they have lost three matches and have picked up only fourteen points from nine matches – the sixth worst in the division. (Home table of this season's Dutch Eredivisie below).
Latest Eredivisie Transfers
FC Twente have acted immediately to replace the Ajax-bound Rob Wielaert by signing Peter Wisgerhof from NEC for €800,000 on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Elsewhere, Vitesse Arnheim have signed winger Julian Jenner and midfielder Rogier Molhoek on permanent deals after both failed to impact entirely at AZ Alkmaar. The two signed a one-year loan deal at Vitesse last summer and Jenner has agreed a contract that will expire in 2012. Relegation-threatened ADO Den Haag have reinforced their squad for the battles ahead through the capture of Feyenoord midfielder Danny Buijs. Finally, PSV have signed 22-year-old Swedish attacker Ola Toivonen from Malmo in the region of €4.2 million.
Unforeseen injuries have helped little in their hunt for improvement and consistency but, in the words of the club director Eric Gudde, “It is a law in football that if a large part of the players do not want a coach, there is no way to continue other than to install a new man.” The fallen Dutch giants, who are a sombre reflection of their glorious past, will look to emerge from the wilderness by seeking the services of another figure in the managerial turnstile.
Feyenoord’s home form has been startling in comparison to their fortunes last season. In 2007-2008, Feyenoord enjoyed unprecedented success in their home fixtures, winning 39 points from 17 fixtures but already this season they have lost three matches and have picked up only fourteen points from nine matches – the sixth worst in the division. (Home table of this season's Dutch Eredivisie below).
Latest Eredivisie Transfers
FC Twente have acted immediately to replace the Ajax-bound Rob Wielaert by signing Peter Wisgerhof from NEC for €800,000 on a three-and-a-half-year contract. Elsewhere, Vitesse Arnheim have signed winger Julian Jenner and midfielder Rogier Molhoek on permanent deals after both failed to impact entirely at AZ Alkmaar. The two signed a one-year loan deal at Vitesse last summer and Jenner has agreed a contract that will expire in 2012. Relegation-threatened ADO Den Haag have reinforced their squad for the battles ahead through the capture of Feyenoord midfielder Danny Buijs. Finally, PSV have signed 22-year-old Swedish attacker Ola Toivonen from Malmo in the region of €4.2 million.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
European Summary: Barcelona Extend To Ten
La Liga (Matchday 16)
Barcelona sprang another step towards the Spanish league title with victory at their nearby challengers Villarreal. The 2006 champions were forced to overturn a one-goal deficit as Cani chipped Villarreal into the lead, but Malian midfielder Seydou Keita threw the scoreline level and Thierry Henry’s volley gifted Barcelona a ten point advantage to dominate the half-way stage of Spanish proceedings. Juande Ramos guided Real Madrid to their first league win under his management as Gonzalo Higuain’s sole effort was sufficient to claim the three points against Valencia. Defeat for Real would have surely seen them drop from the title race as it would have left 15 points adrift. Second-placed Sevilla had to settle for a stalemate draw in Mallorca, while Deportivo La Coruna beat relegation-threatened Recreativo Huelva 4-1 and Atletico Madrid defeated Espanyol 3-2.
Results
Espanyol 2–3 Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid 1–0 Valencia, Deportivo La Coruna 4–1 Recreativo Huelva, Mallorca 0–0 Sevilla, Numancia 4–3 Real Valladolid, Osasuna 5–2 Getafe, Racing Santander 1-1 Malaga, Real Betis 0-1 Athletic Bilbao, Sporting Gijon 1-0 Almeria, Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona.
Premiership (Matchday 18)
Championship hopefuls Chelsea, Liverpool and Liverpool failed to take full advantage of Manchester United’s winter break to Tokyo for the Club World Cup as they could only muster up draws. Ten-man Chelsea were held at Goodison Park and were grateful to leave Merseyside with a point after constant pressure from Everton in the second half, whilst the encounter between Arsenal and Liverpool also resulted in a solid but unspectacular draw. Having both prevailed victorious against their ‘Big Four’ rivals, Liverpool and Arsenal were seeking the entire nine points but Robbie Keane cancelled Robin Van Persie’s opener. Where the Premiership strong guard failed, Aston Villa capitalised through James Milner’s fortunate goal, which deflected off Lucas Neill to bound past a helpless Robert Green. Caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia certified his name amongst the favourites to replace Roy Keane by leading Sunderland to an impressive 4-1 demolition of Hull. Elsewhere, West Brom donned the role as Scrooge to add to Manchester City’s nightmares by beating them 2-1, but will still spend Christmas bottom of the table as Sam Allardyce prompted a Blackburn renaissance by overcoming Stoke City 3-0.
Results
Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Stoke City, Bolton 2-1 Portsmouth, Fulham 3-0 Middlesbrough, Hull City 1-4 Sunderland, West Ham 0-1 Aston Villa, Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool, Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham, West Brom 2-1 Manchester City, Everton 1-1 Chelsea
Serie A (Matchday 17)
Results
Lazio 1-0 Palermo, Siena 1-2 Inter Milan, Atalanta 1-3 Juventus, Cagliari 1-1 Reggina, Catania 3-2 Roma, Chievo 0-1 Genoa, Lecce 0-0 Bologna, Sampdoria 0-1 Fiorentina, Torino 1-0 Napoli, AC Milan 5-1 Udinese
Ligue 1 (Matchday 19)
Results
Grenoble 2-1 Le Mans, Lille 3-1 Le Havre, Lorient 1-2 Stade Rennes, Nantes 1-1 Sochaux, Saint Etienne 2-0 Auxerre, Toulouse 2-2 Nice, Caen 0-1 Lyon, Marsaille 0-3 Nancy, PSG 2-2 Valenciennes, Monaco 3-4 Bordeaux
Eredivisie (Matchday 16)
Results
AZ 2-0 FC Utrecht, Sparta 4-1 Heerenveen, NAC 2-0 Vitesse, Roda JC 2-5 Groningen, NEC 0-0 ADO Den Haag, De Graafschap 0-6 Ajax, Volendam 3-1 Heracles, Twente 2-0 Willem II, PSV 1-0 Feyenoord.
Portuguese Liga (Matchday 12)
Results
Naval 0-0 Vitoria Guimaraes, Sporting Braga 1-0 Rio Ave, Sporting Lisbon 0-0 Academica de Coimbra, Belenenses 3-2 CD Trofense, Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 Vitoria Setubal, Leixoes 1-1 Estrela Amadora, Porto 0-0 Maritimo
Scottish Premier League (Matchday 19)
Results
Hamilton 2-0 Motherwell, Hearts 0-0 Dundee United, Inverness CT 0-3 Aberdeen, Kilmarnock 0-1 Saint Mirren, Rangers 1-0 Hibernian, Falkirk 0-3 Celtic
Barcelona sprang another step towards the Spanish league title with victory at their nearby challengers Villarreal. The 2006 champions were forced to overturn a one-goal deficit as Cani chipped Villarreal into the lead, but Malian midfielder Seydou Keita threw the scoreline level and Thierry Henry’s volley gifted Barcelona a ten point advantage to dominate the half-way stage of Spanish proceedings. Juande Ramos guided Real Madrid to their first league win under his management as Gonzalo Higuain’s sole effort was sufficient to claim the three points against Valencia. Defeat for Real would have surely seen them drop from the title race as it would have left 15 points adrift. Second-placed Sevilla had to settle for a stalemate draw in Mallorca, while Deportivo La Coruna beat relegation-threatened Recreativo Huelva 4-1 and Atletico Madrid defeated Espanyol 3-2.
Results
Espanyol 2–3 Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid 1–0 Valencia, Deportivo La Coruna 4–1 Recreativo Huelva, Mallorca 0–0 Sevilla, Numancia 4–3 Real Valladolid, Osasuna 5–2 Getafe, Racing Santander 1-1 Malaga, Real Betis 0-1 Athletic Bilbao, Sporting Gijon 1-0 Almeria, Villarreal 1-2 Barcelona.
Premiership (Matchday 18)
Championship hopefuls Chelsea, Liverpool and Liverpool failed to take full advantage of Manchester United’s winter break to Tokyo for the Club World Cup as they could only muster up draws. Ten-man Chelsea were held at Goodison Park and were grateful to leave Merseyside with a point after constant pressure from Everton in the second half, whilst the encounter between Arsenal and Liverpool also resulted in a solid but unspectacular draw. Having both prevailed victorious against their ‘Big Four’ rivals, Liverpool and Arsenal were seeking the entire nine points but Robbie Keane cancelled Robin Van Persie’s opener. Where the Premiership strong guard failed, Aston Villa capitalised through James Milner’s fortunate goal, which deflected off Lucas Neill to bound past a helpless Robert Green. Caretaker boss Ricky Sbragia certified his name amongst the favourites to replace Roy Keane by leading Sunderland to an impressive 4-1 demolition of Hull. Elsewhere, West Brom donned the role as Scrooge to add to Manchester City’s nightmares by beating them 2-1, but will still spend Christmas bottom of the table as Sam Allardyce prompted a Blackburn renaissance by overcoming Stoke City 3-0.
Results
Blackburn Rovers 3-0 Stoke City, Bolton 2-1 Portsmouth, Fulham 3-0 Middlesbrough, Hull City 1-4 Sunderland, West Ham 0-1 Aston Villa, Arsenal 1-1 Liverpool, Newcastle 2-1 Tottenham, West Brom 2-1 Manchester City, Everton 1-1 Chelsea
Serie A (Matchday 17)
Results
Lazio 1-0 Palermo, Siena 1-2 Inter Milan, Atalanta 1-3 Juventus, Cagliari 1-1 Reggina, Catania 3-2 Roma, Chievo 0-1 Genoa, Lecce 0-0 Bologna, Sampdoria 0-1 Fiorentina, Torino 1-0 Napoli, AC Milan 5-1 Udinese
Ligue 1 (Matchday 19)
Results
Grenoble 2-1 Le Mans, Lille 3-1 Le Havre, Lorient 1-2 Stade Rennes, Nantes 1-1 Sochaux, Saint Etienne 2-0 Auxerre, Toulouse 2-2 Nice, Caen 0-1 Lyon, Marsaille 0-3 Nancy, PSG 2-2 Valenciennes, Monaco 3-4 Bordeaux
Eredivisie (Matchday 16)
Results
AZ 2-0 FC Utrecht, Sparta 4-1 Heerenveen, NAC 2-0 Vitesse, Roda JC 2-5 Groningen, NEC 0-0 ADO Den Haag, De Graafschap 0-6 Ajax, Volendam 3-1 Heracles, Twente 2-0 Willem II, PSV 1-0 Feyenoord.
Portuguese Liga (Matchday 12)
Results
Naval 0-0 Vitoria Guimaraes, Sporting Braga 1-0 Rio Ave, Sporting Lisbon 0-0 Academica de Coimbra, Belenenses 3-2 CD Trofense, Pacos de Ferreira 2-0 Vitoria Setubal, Leixoes 1-1 Estrela Amadora, Porto 0-0 Maritimo
Scottish Premier League (Matchday 19)
Results
Hamilton 2-0 Motherwell, Hearts 0-0 Dundee United, Inverness CT 0-3 Aberdeen, Kilmarnock 0-1 Saint Mirren, Rangers 1-0 Hibernian, Falkirk 0-3 Celtic
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Ajax Slump In Heerenveen Disaster
Marco Van Basten is discovering the difficulties and challenges that come with day-to-day club management the hard way. Ajax were unable to break Heerenveen’s unbeaten home record as they wilted to a 5-2 defeat.
Within eight minutes, Ajax were staring down the barrel of defeat as goals from veteran striker Gerald Sibon and Roy Beerens placed Heerenveen in an excellent position which they retained for the remainder of the match. The visiting defence were left shattered and crushed after the deficit doubled to 4-0 – Sibon claiming his second while Danijel Pranjic’s penalty put to doubt any possibility of a remarkable comeback. Such a hope was pure fiction for the Amsterdam outfit as they were condemned to an embarrassing 5-2 finishing scoreline. Huntelaar’s curled a free-kick and Suarez’s converted penalty acted only as consolatory goals before Pranjic acted quickly to finish a rebounded penalty. Heerenveen’s unbeaten home form remained intact while Ajax failed to cure their away day despair.
Ajax manager Marco Van Basten was infuriated with his team’s defective spectacle, saying “I was hoping for our first away win this Eredivisie season, but this was just a disgrace. We really have to be ashamed of ourselves, because this is totally unacceptable. It was 2-0 at halftime and there were still chances to grab a good result, but it was 4-0 minutes after the break. We didn’t show anything today and we weren’t focused.” Any desires of trumping PSV to the title crown will have to be re-examined should a performance like this become a regular occurrence.
In other news, Ajax are hoping to lure former South African goalkeeper Hans Vonk out of retirement to aid them in their injury crisis. Regular Maarten Stekelenburg has been ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder injury and reserve Dennis Gentenaar is also on the sidelines with a hernia. Vonk is familiar with Eredivisie football and in particular life at the Amsterdam ArenA – the 38 year-old began his career at RKC Waalwijk and had spells at FC Den Bosch and Heerenveen before he previously joined Ajax in 2004.
PSV rose to 2nd in the table following their 3-0 triumph over De Graafschap with Lazovic scoring twice, while Steve McClaren suffered his first domestic defeat as manager of Twente as they lost 3-0 to FC Utrecht. FC Groningen are the surprise leaders on 13 points having beaten ADO Den Haag 3-0.
Within eight minutes, Ajax were staring down the barrel of defeat as goals from veteran striker Gerald Sibon and Roy Beerens placed Heerenveen in an excellent position which they retained for the remainder of the match. The visiting defence were left shattered and crushed after the deficit doubled to 4-0 – Sibon claiming his second while Danijel Pranjic’s penalty put to doubt any possibility of a remarkable comeback. Such a hope was pure fiction for the Amsterdam outfit as they were condemned to an embarrassing 5-2 finishing scoreline. Huntelaar’s curled a free-kick and Suarez’s converted penalty acted only as consolatory goals before Pranjic acted quickly to finish a rebounded penalty. Heerenveen’s unbeaten home form remained intact while Ajax failed to cure their away day despair.
Ajax manager Marco Van Basten was infuriated with his team’s defective spectacle, saying “I was hoping for our first away win this Eredivisie season, but this was just a disgrace. We really have to be ashamed of ourselves, because this is totally unacceptable. It was 2-0 at halftime and there were still chances to grab a good result, but it was 4-0 minutes after the break. We didn’t show anything today and we weren’t focused.” Any desires of trumping PSV to the title crown will have to be re-examined should a performance like this become a regular occurrence.
In other news, Ajax are hoping to lure former South African goalkeeper Hans Vonk out of retirement to aid them in their injury crisis. Regular Maarten Stekelenburg has been ruled out for six weeks with a shoulder injury and reserve Dennis Gentenaar is also on the sidelines with a hernia. Vonk is familiar with Eredivisie football and in particular life at the Amsterdam ArenA – the 38 year-old began his career at RKC Waalwijk and had spells at FC Den Bosch and Heerenveen before he previously joined Ajax in 2004.
PSV rose to 2nd in the table following their 3-0 triumph over De Graafschap with Lazovic scoring twice, while Steve McClaren suffered his first domestic defeat as manager of Twente as they lost 3-0 to FC Utrecht. FC Groningen are the surprise leaders on 13 points having beaten ADO Den Haag 3-0.
Around The Globe: Early European Pace Setters
The beginning of a season can be as vital and influential as the latter stages. Initial struggles and shortfalls can lead to mounting pressures on clubs, whether it be for title challengers or survival hopefuls - so the perfect start to a season is important. Soccer City FC looks at the early aspiring contenders who are at the top of their respective top-flight leagues.
The leagues covered are those which began in August and thereby over 2008-2009, while those in the summer seasons are excluded from the list as their season's are coming to a close - these will be covered shortly.
Austria: 1st Austria Wien, 2nd Red Bull Salzburg, 3rd Rapid Wien
Belgium: 1st Anderlecht, 2nd Standard Liege, 3rd Club Brugge
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1st HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, 2nd Slavija Istočno Sarajevo, 3rd NK Široki Brijeg
Bulgaria: 1st CSKA Sofia, 2nd OFC Sliven, 3rd Levski Sofia
Croatia: 1st Dinamo Zagreb, 2nd Hajduk Split, 3rd Slaven Belupo
Cyprus: 1st Anorthosis Famagusta, 2nd AC Omonia Nicosia, 3rd APOEL FC
Czech Republic: 1st Slavia Prague, 2nd Mlada Boleslav, 3rd Sparta Prague
Denmark: 1st Odense BK, 2nd FC Copenhagen, 3rd Brondby IF
England: 1st Chelsea, 2nd Liverpool, 3rd Hull City
France: 1st Lyon, 2nd Toulouse, 3rd Marseille
Germany: 1st Hamburger SV, 2nd TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 3rd VfB Stuttgart
Georgia: 1st FC WIT Georgia, 2nd FC Mglebi Zugdidi, 3rd FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi
Greece: 1st Olympiacos, 2nd PAOK FC, 3rd Skoda Xanthi
Hungary: 1st Ujpest FC, 2nd Debreceni, 3rd Szombathelyi Haladas
Israel: 1st Maccabi Netanya, 2nd Maccabi Haifa, 3rd Maccabi Tel Aviv
Italy: 1st Lazio, 2nd Udinese, 3rd Internazionale Milan
Macedonia: 1st FK Vadkar, 2nd FK Makedonija, 3rd FK Renova
Moldova: 1st FC Sheriff Tiraspol, 2nd FC Zimbru Chişinău, 3rd FC Dacia Chişinău
Montenegro: 1st FK Grbalj, 2nd FK Budućnost Podgorica, 3rd FK Mogren
Netherlands: 1st FC Groningen, 2nd PSV, 3rd NAC Breda
N. Ireland: 1st Crusaders, 2nd Linfield, 3rd Glentoran
Poland: 1st Wisla Krakow, 2nd Legia Warsaw, 3rd Polonia Warsaw
Portugal: 1st Porto, 2nd Nacional, 3rd Leixoes SC
Romania: 1st FC Dinamo Bucureşti, 2nd FC Steaua Bucureşti, 3rd FC Unirea
Scotland: 1st Celtic, 2nd Rangers, 3rd Kilmarnock
Serbia: 1st FK Partizan, 2nd FK Vojvodina, 3rd OFK Belgrade
Slovakia: 1st MFK Kosice, 2nd MSK Zilina, 3rd Slovan Bratislava
Slovenia: 1st NK Maribor, 2nd NK Nafta Lendava, 3rd NK Domžale
Spain: 1st Valencia, 2nd Villareal, 3rd Sevilla
Switzerland: 1st FC Zurich, 2nd FC Basel, 3rd FC Aurau
Turkey: 1st Trabzonspor, 2nd Bursaspor, 3rd Besiktas JK
Ukraine: 1st Dynamo Kiev, 2nd FC Metalurh Donetsk, 3rd FC Metalist Kharkiv
Wales: 1st The New Saints, 2nd Rhyl FC, 3rd Llanelli AFC
Can the premature leaders retain their position at the summit of the tables? When the majority of the seasons are only around six or seven matches old, any assumptions are definitely too early to conclude but a salient commence to the new campaign is on every manager’s wish-list. Early season blues and despondency ensure the managerial merry-go-round is constantly in full operation as owners hit the panic buttons and opt to bring in fresh personnel at the club’s helm.
Keep a closeful eye over the season as the action unfolds - we will track the progress of Europe's leaders throughout the season.
The leagues covered are those which began in August and thereby over 2008-2009, while those in the summer seasons are excluded from the list as their season's are coming to a close - these will be covered shortly.
Austria: 1st Austria Wien, 2nd Red Bull Salzburg, 3rd Rapid Wien
Belgium: 1st Anderlecht, 2nd Standard Liege, 3rd Club Brugge
Bosnia & Herzegovina: 1st HŠK Zrinjski Mostar, 2nd Slavija Istočno Sarajevo, 3rd NK Široki Brijeg
Bulgaria: 1st CSKA Sofia, 2nd OFC Sliven, 3rd Levski Sofia
Croatia: 1st Dinamo Zagreb, 2nd Hajduk Split, 3rd Slaven Belupo
Cyprus: 1st Anorthosis Famagusta, 2nd AC Omonia Nicosia, 3rd APOEL FC
Czech Republic: 1st Slavia Prague, 2nd Mlada Boleslav, 3rd Sparta Prague
Denmark: 1st Odense BK, 2nd FC Copenhagen, 3rd Brondby IF
England: 1st Chelsea, 2nd Liverpool, 3rd Hull City
France: 1st Lyon, 2nd Toulouse, 3rd Marseille
Germany: 1st Hamburger SV, 2nd TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, 3rd VfB Stuttgart
Georgia: 1st FC WIT Georgia, 2nd FC Mglebi Zugdidi, 3rd FC Lokomotivi Tbilisi
Greece: 1st Olympiacos, 2nd PAOK FC, 3rd Skoda Xanthi
Hungary: 1st Ujpest FC, 2nd Debreceni, 3rd Szombathelyi Haladas
Israel: 1st Maccabi Netanya, 2nd Maccabi Haifa, 3rd Maccabi Tel Aviv
Italy: 1st Lazio, 2nd Udinese, 3rd Internazionale Milan
Macedonia: 1st FK Vadkar, 2nd FK Makedonija, 3rd FK Renova
Moldova: 1st FC Sheriff Tiraspol, 2nd FC Zimbru Chişinău, 3rd FC Dacia Chişinău
Montenegro: 1st FK Grbalj, 2nd FK Budućnost Podgorica, 3rd FK Mogren
Netherlands: 1st FC Groningen, 2nd PSV, 3rd NAC Breda
N. Ireland: 1st Crusaders, 2nd Linfield, 3rd Glentoran
Poland: 1st Wisla Krakow, 2nd Legia Warsaw, 3rd Polonia Warsaw
Portugal: 1st Porto, 2nd Nacional, 3rd Leixoes SC
Romania: 1st FC Dinamo Bucureşti, 2nd FC Steaua Bucureşti, 3rd FC Unirea
Scotland: 1st Celtic, 2nd Rangers, 3rd Kilmarnock
Serbia: 1st FK Partizan, 2nd FK Vojvodina, 3rd OFK Belgrade
Slovakia: 1st MFK Kosice, 2nd MSK Zilina, 3rd Slovan Bratislava
Slovenia: 1st NK Maribor, 2nd NK Nafta Lendava, 3rd NK Domžale
Spain: 1st Valencia, 2nd Villareal, 3rd Sevilla
Switzerland: 1st FC Zurich, 2nd FC Basel, 3rd FC Aurau
Turkey: 1st Trabzonspor, 2nd Bursaspor, 3rd Besiktas JK
Ukraine: 1st Dynamo Kiev, 2nd FC Metalurh Donetsk, 3rd FC Metalist Kharkiv
Wales: 1st The New Saints, 2nd Rhyl FC, 3rd Llanelli AFC
Can the premature leaders retain their position at the summit of the tables? When the majority of the seasons are only around six or seven matches old, any assumptions are definitely too early to conclude but a salient commence to the new campaign is on every manager’s wish-list. Early season blues and despondency ensure the managerial merry-go-round is constantly in full operation as owners hit the panic buttons and opt to bring in fresh personnel at the club’s helm.
Keep a closeful eye over the season as the action unfolds - we will track the progress of Europe's leaders throughout the season.
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